Clemson senior quarterback Tajh Boyd has something to prove in Friday night's Orange Bowl.
For all the success Boyd has had at Clemson -- he is leaving with 11 ACC records and 16 school marks -- he hasn't always come up big in big games. The Orange Bowl against Ohio State counts as a big game.
Boyd (6-foot-1, 225 pounds) averages 289.4 passing yards per game this season, but he threw for just 381 total, with one touchdown and four interceptions, in Clemson's regular-season losses to Florida State (13-0) and South Carolina (10-2). And while his season completion percentage was 67.6, his percentage in the two setbacks was 56.3.
Boyd did play well in Clemson's win over LSU in last season's Chick-fil-A Bowl, and he has led Clemson to 31 victories overall. But he is 0-3 in his career as a starter against archrival South Carolina, 1-2 against conference rival Florida State and 0-1 in BCS games (he was the starter in one of the most embarrassing Clemson losses in recent memory -- a 70-33 setback to West Virginia in the Orange Bowl following the 2011 season).
Friday night, Boyd will be going against a shaky Ohio State secondary, a unit made even shakier because cornerback Bradley Roby is almost certain to miss the game with a bone bruise in his knee. Ohio State also will be without sophomore defensive end Noah Spence, the Buckeyes' best pass rusher, because of a suspension.
An added storyline is that Boyd seriously considered signing with Ohio State out of high school in Hampton, Va. In the end, he chose the Tigers over the Buckeyes.
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Had he chosen Ohio State, Braxton Miller -- the guy who will start at quarterback for the Buckeyes on Friday night -- might not have chosen the Buckeyes. The Orange Bowl could be Miller's final college game, too. Miller (6-2, 215), a junior, says he will make a decision on whether he will turn pro after the bowl game. Most analysts seem to think he'll be better off if he returns for his senior season.
Miller is one of a handful of top-level junior prospects in the Orange Bowl. Even Clemson coach Dabo Swinney seems to think this will be the final college game for Tigers wide receiver Sammy Watkins (6-1, 205), who could run free all night against the Buckeyes' secondary. He also could be the first receiver taken in the draft. Other juniors who could be playing their final college games are Clemson defensive end Vic Beasley (6-2, 235), Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Bennett (6-3, 285), Clemson wide receiver Martavis Bryant (6-5, 200) and Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier (6-2, 230). Beasley and Shazier might be the fastest players in the nation at their positions.
Other senior draft prospects to watch in the game are Ohio State safety C.J. Barnett (6-1, 204), Ohio State wide receiver Corey "Philly" Brown (6-0, 190), Ohio State guard Marcus Hall (6-6, 315), Ohio State tailback Carlos Hyde (6-0, 235), Ohio State center Corey Linsley (6-3, 297), Ohio State offensive tackle Jack Mewhort (6-6, 308), Ohio State guard Andrew Norwell (6-6, 316), Clemson linebacker Spencer Shuey (6-3, 240) and Clemson offensive tackle Brandon Thomas (6-3, 315), who seems best-suited for guard at the next level. Hyde could end up being the first senior running back taken in the draft.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
